圜悟禪師送大慧住庵
Great Master Yuanwu Sends Dahui to the Hermitage
古德住山。率力耕火種。不畜長物。蕭然布衲。麤衣糲食。刻苦揭志。意將大有為也。有慕義學道兄弟相從。一切以寬量大肚皮包納之。不暴怒。不峻阻。慈悲喜捨。以身帥之。葢大叢林中寬廣。人眾各自相忘。會聚亦稀。所以百種可以責望。今庵居隘狹。七五間茆舍同作一處。欬唾動靜無不與耳目相接。若一一責之以禮。則久久生怨動念。驀地聲色相反。便見參商。却損道義。豈不見藥山數十年。牛欄庵只七八人。其後皆為大法器。而風穴白丁久之。始三二相從。後來麟象駢臻。答問注洋。謂之眾吼。溈山十載煑橡栗喫。晚年大安來。遂著千五百衲。大梅入深林幽谷。初不與世接。因鹽官僧採拄杖乃逢之。問酬徑載。遂著半千人。今既以不得已作避世隱遁。意全不在眼底。正欲韜晦竢時清平。然後行自己志願。豈可以小不忍而亂大謀哉。唯一切低細和同。先慎自三業。提向上那一著子。教兄弟日有趣向。渠各自然亦忘倦怠。遞互相競向前定也。俗諺所謂。相見易得好。共住難為人。要須廓落寬容。半見半不見。且圖長久。亦令諸方門之俗子見之。皆贊善欽仰。乃龍象蹴踏。體裁步驟。斷與常流異爾。教中謂如為一人眾多亦然。雖三家村五間小茆舍裏立成个本分規繩。不嚴不緩。凡百折衷。它日便更多多亦益辦也。古人佩韋佩絃。各攻自所偏墜。唯務中道而行。況聦明辯智過人。豈不能照此細務。但患逞俊太過。一色使自己性。久之便不恰好也。公此去。大有人相議論。當應回轉。勿使渠搏著。亦令渠無起謗處。只眨得眼贊嘆。非常人所及乃善。更有个緊要最後句。不免亦說之。佛法無多子。久長難得人。
Ancient virtuous masters lived in the mountains. They worked hard, planting with fire and hoe, owning nothing extra. Living simply in patched robes, coarse clothes, and plain food, they disciplined themselves with intense determination, intending to accomplish something great. When like-minded brothers who admired righteousness and sought the Dharma came to follow them, they embraced everyone with a broad mind and generous heart. They did not flare up in anger or harshly reject anyone. With kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity, they led by example.
In a large monastery, there is plenty of space. People come and go, barely noticing each other, and gatherings are rare, so all kinds of demands can be made. But now, living in a small hermitage—seven or eight thatched huts in one place—every cough, every word, every movement is seen and heard by all. If you demand strict observance of etiquette from everyone, resentment will grow over time. Suddenly, voices clash and faces turn, and you end up at odds. This damages the very meaning of the Way.
Have you not heard how Master Yaoshan spent decades with only seven or eight people in his ox-pen hermitage, and yet they all became great vessels of the Dharma? Or how Fengxue, after a long time alone, finally had two or three followers, and later great talents gathered like unicorns and elephants, with questions and answers flowing like oceans—what they called "the roar of the multitude"? Weishan boiled acorns for ten years, and only in his later years did Da'an come, after which he gathered fifteen hundred monastics. Dahui retreated deep into the forest and valley, initially having no contact with the world. Only when a monk from Yanguan came searching for staff-wood did he meet him. After their exchange, news spread, and eventually five hundred people gathered around him.
Now, since circumstances force us into seclusion as a means of avoiding the world, our focus is not on what is before our eyes. We intend to conceal our light and bide our time until the world settles, then carry out our own aspirations. How can we let small impatience ruin a great plan? We should simply lower ourselves, blend in harmoniously, and above all carefully guard our own three actions. Point the brothers toward that supreme matter, so they daily find direction. Naturally, they will forget their weariness, and all will strive forward together.
As the proverb says: "Meeting is easy to enjoy; living together is hard on people." We must be open and forgiving, seeing a bit and not seeing a bit, aiming for the long haul. Also, let the ordinary people who hear of our community praise and admire it. This is the true step of dragons and elephants—the manner and pace are indeed different from the common crowd. The scriptures say: "Treat one person as you would treat the many." Even in a three-family village, within a five-room thatched hut, you can establish a proper standard—neither too strict nor too loose—with everything balanced in the middle way.
The ancients wore soft leather or taut bowstrings as reminders, each working on their own tendency to fall to one side. They aimed only to walk the middle path. For someone as intelligent and eloquent as you, how could you not see through such small matters? The only danger is showing off your sharpness too much, acting purely on your own temperament, which will soon become unsuitable.
When you go, many will discuss matters with you. You should be flexible in response, not letting them corner you, and also giving them no ground for criticism. Let them simply blink in admiration, thinking: "This is beyond ordinary people." That would be excellent. There is one more vital final point, and I cannot help but mention it: The Buddha-Dharma has no great mystery. What is rare is a person who endures over the long haul.